Beginning of the end
by Shadowspeed2020
Summary: The gatekeepers and the chosen ones have been seperated and are now an entire world apart.With allies and enemies searching for them,Nightbird,Shadowspeed and Nightshade will learn that even their powers have dark secrets.
1. It had begun

It had begun. The five gatekeepers had been separated, and now Chaos was searching for them. Though he had sent allies over the world to capture them, he still had his personal vendetta. The ones who took high priority were Highspeed and Scarlett, or known to him as Ancient and Scar. He knew about how they were both shot, and had learned how the only one protecting them at this moment was Jamie. As he sat in his palace of ice, he whispered quietly to himself _"It won't be long now. Not long until I have my revenge!"_

As he sat in the bedroom, Jamie watched Highspeed and Scarlett sleeping. There was nothing else to do, and he was about to fall asleep himself. It was late at night, and as he looked out the window, he saw the streets almost completely empty, few people out and about. As he sat down, he heard something from the street, the sound of cars.

"That's weird, there's hardly ever any cars down this street at night......and why am I thinking there's more than one car?" he said, looking out the window to investigate. Sure enough, there were five pairs of headlights coming down the street. He also noticed something that filled him with dread; the cars had a badge that said Nightrise on the sides.

Clearly, the Old Ones had decided to start revealing themselves to the world. As the cars stopped, the passengers started to make their way towards the building, charging through the doors. Jamie could hear them coming, realising it wouldn't take long for them to reach the room. He looked to Highspeed, who was still out cold and pale as ever.

"Come on Highspeed.....wake up! Please wake up!" he started saying, almost shouting into Highspeed's ear. Just as he got up, the door was smashed open, and there was what looked like a small army of people in combat jackets, each of them armed with a hand gun.

"Stay where you are and we will not fire!" one of the men said. Jamie stood up, his hands behind his head.

"So, this is who Chaos sends to capture us?" a voice, familiarly overconfident, called out. Jamie smiled as Highspeed started to wake up.

"Remain still or we will open fire!" another man said.

"Okay then, fire.......but just try and hit me," Highspeed called, appearing to disappear. "Peek-a-boo!" he called, now behind the men.

As gunfire filled the hallway, Highspeed dashed away, showing off by leaping from wall to wall. As he landed behind the men, the symbol on his hands, a blue gem, started glowing, and at once, the men froze, encased in ghostly energy. As the men tried to break free, Highspeed aimed at the wall, then threw them at the wall.

As the men fell, broken and beaten, Highspeed grabbed them again, moving them out the window and lowering them slightly above their cars. He let them go, causing the men to land on the cars and set off car alarms.

Highspeed and Jamie looked out the window, seeing the men limp back into their cars and drive off. As he turned round, Highspeed collapsed, out of breath and completely exhausted.

"Not bad for just waking up," Highspeed said, a cocky smile on his face.

"Do you ever go two minutes without ticking someone off, friend or enemy?" Jamie said, helping Highspeed to his feet.

"So, where's everyone else? I mean, did they expect me to wake up and fight them myself?" he said, sitting down.

"Everyone got separated. You, me and Scarlett are the only ones here, and Scarlett's barely alive," Jamie said, seeing the look of despair in Highspeed's face turn to anger.

"So, the five are separated again and the Old Ones are probably taking full advantage of it," Highspeed said angrily, his symbols starting to glow red.

"Calm down Highspeed. If you become Demon here, then you could end up dead from exhausting your powers," Jamie said, hearing something outside. As he went to look out the window, the wall collapsed, revealing a small army of familiar robots.

"Not now," Highspeed said, looking to Scarlett, seeing her so still, looking as though she was already dead. He then looked at the robots, anger building up inside him.

"If any of you avoid the scrap heap, tell Scorpia they're never going to take Scarlett from me again!" Highspeed yelled, smashing an invisible force into the robots and sending them to the ground, crumpled beyond recognition. Jamie looked at the mess of robot carcasses, his eyes widening. As another wave came in, the leader of the group, a Scorpia agent with two large jet boosters on his back.

"So you're the one our contacts are after. Guess this'll be pretty easy," the leader said, ordering the robots to attack. As the bullets fired, Highspeed fell to the ground, dark blue fur growing over his body, with random silver patches. His hands and feet became claws, while his head became more feral. The wings grew on his back, and his teeth grew into large fangs. Nightmare had awakened again.

As the bullets rained down around them, Nightmare moved with incredible speed, leaping from robot to robot, tearing them to shreds and scrap.

"What.....retreat!" the leader shouted, flying away as fast as he could while robot parts continued to litter the street. When all the robots were scrap, Nightmare landed in front of Jamie.

"So, how do you change back?" he asked, a little uneasy when he saw Nightmare's large claws and teeth, which were now starting to disappear. He stood on his hind legs, now in human form with his fur disappearing.

"I really need to take anger management classes," Highspeed said, rubbing his head and a little shaky on his feet.

"At least Scarlett's still......" Jamie said, quickly glancing in her direction. She was only just breathing, but she was pale and motionless.

"We need to try and wake her up," Highspeed said, walking over and kneeling at her bedside. He placed his hand on her forehead, finding it was cold. His eyes started to water, knowing she could just lose any sign of life in an instant.

"She could die at any minute...." Highspeed said, his eyes still watering.

"At least she'll be replaced by Scar from the past, we'll still be able to beat the Old Ones," Jamie said, trying to comfort him.

"But then she won't remember anything about this present life," Highspeed added, his voice shaky. Before Jamie could say anything, Highspeed leant over Scarlett, kissing her on the lips, whispering _"Please be okay. Please wake up."_

As he stood there, Jamie's eyes widened, unable to believe what he'd just seen. As Highspeed got up, he walked over to what was left of the window, looking over the street as it started to rain. He levitated outside, floating in the rain.

"Is this how you......spend your nights?" a voice said, weak and trembling. Highspeed couldn't turn round quick enough, seeing Scarlett, still pale and a little shaky, standing there, a smile on her face. He flew back inside, trying to fight back his joyful tears.

"I thought you were.....I mean.....I'm glad to see you're okay," Highspeed said, letting Scarlett hug him as he stood there. "I don't want to lose you again," he whispered, holding Scarlett tight.

"Uh guys......" Jamie said, pointing outside to a large, golden light flying towards them.

"If the Old Ones don't get the message this time......" Highspeed said, letting go of Scarlett and readying for a fight. He looked below, seeing strange energy bind robot parts together to create a monster of a creature. It growled just before golden energy hit it in the back.

"Hope you don't intend to leave me out of this party?" a voice called out, just as a boy landed in front of Jamie. He was wearing completely gold or orange, with golden hair and orange eyes. He also had jet fighter wings and a jet booster on each heel.

He jumped into the air, his golden hair seeming to burn with golden flames. He fired another blast of golden energy at the creature just as a piercing scream sounded out.

Below was a girl with dark blue tinted hair, firing blasts of sound at the monster. Between the screams and energy blasts, the creature started to fall apart.

As it fell to the ground, Highspeed glowed ghostly blue, grabbing the monster and smashing it into the ground, shattering it into pieces.

"So, you're Highspeed, that MI6 agent?" the girl asked, making Highspeed jump.

"How do you know who I am?" he asked, his eyes carefully observing the two newcomers.

"You're probably going to jump a mile when you hear this but, we're formers Scorpia assassins who've decided to help you fight this threat of the Old Ones," the tall, golden boy said, landing beside the girl.

"If you don't believe us, just ask the team MI6 have standing in for you," the girl said.

"MI6 replaced us already?" Highspeed asked, his voice showing a hint of annoyance.

"Anyway, the name's Frequency, and this is Sunstorm," the girl said, pointing at the boy.

"So, what do we do now? If we stay here, Scorpia and Nightrise won't be back quick enough to capture us," Jamie said, still looking cautiously over Sunstorm and Frequency.

"The only reason they won't be back here quick enough is because we'll already be gone," Highspeed said, levitating back up to the room. He started packing essentials into two backpacks, floating back down and handing one to Sunstorm.

"So I guess you trust us," Sunstorm said as Highspeed put his backpack on his back.

"As long as you don't give me reason to throw you into something," he said sarcastically, watching as Frequency strode over to a car.

"Hope this doesn't give you reason to," she said, picking the lock and getting into the passenger seat.

"You know how to drive?" Scarlett asked, now a little stronger.

"Part of a Scorpia agent's basic training," Frequency replied with a smirk.

"Just don't try to kill someone," Highspeed joked, putting the backpack in the trunk.

"Does that include you if you insult my driving?" she asked, stepping out.

"You two seem to be the best of friends," Sunstorm said, stepping between them.

"Would you stop fighting long enough to get out of here," Jamie shouted, making Frequency and Highspeed relent.

"Hope you can keep me in your sights for longer than a second," Highspeed said, smirking.

"Didn't think anyone was this bad. He's worse than Shockblast, and that's saying something," Frequency muttered to Sunstorm as she got into the driver's side.

"This could be a long journey," Sunstorm sighed, already slowly rising into the air.

"Let's just go before Nightrise show up," Jamie said, showing he was fed up with Highspeed and Frequency's bickering. Frequency breathed deeply, trying to relax, then started the engine and put her foot on the accelerator pedal. As the car pulled away, Highspeed nodded to Sunstorm, the two of them keeping right next to the car. So far, no-one had tried to stop them, but someone was watching them.

It was a Scorpia agent, wearing a cloak to keep him disguised. He pulled out a device, speaking into it.

"They've already left. Should we pursue immediately?" he asked, hearing the dark, unworldly whisper that could only belong to Chaos.

"_Let them run for a while. Keep them in your sights. Besides, I have something in store for Ancient, or whatever he's calling himself now," _Chaos answered, already starting to laugh evilly and darkly. The agent looked down as the car sped down the street, then to the boy running alongside it.

"Oh how lucky you are Chaos needs you alive," he started to say, pulling his hood down before continuing "cause if I wasn't working for him, you'd be dying slowly and painfully right now, and I'd be enjoying every second of it," Deathwing said, his face scarred from their last encounter. He watched as they ran, then opened a pair of dark, black wings, making him look like an angel of death as he watched Highspeed running._ "The next time we meet, will be the last time,"_ Deathwing thought to himself as he hovered there.


	2. Past of darkness

"So, we have to try to find the others before the Old Ones make this place look like the apocalypse just erupted," Sunstorm asked down to Highspeed as they ran and flew beside the car Frequency, Jamie and Scarlett were travelling in.

"Talk about no pressure," Highspeed smirked, keeping his eyes on the road.

_"You two do know that this car's tank was almost empty before we left, and now we're just running on fumes until we find a gas station,"_ Frequency told them over a comlink.

"Well gee, let's hope the Old Ones don't bring global devastation while we wait at a petrol pump," Sunstorm muttered sarcastically, flying higher into the sky, looking for a place to stop. "Yo Frequency, take the next right and there should be a gas station along that road," he said into a comlink, watching the car turn right before flying down to join them.

As they pulled up, they looked around. They were far from the chaos of last night, but were close enough to a town or village to see people go about their business.

"So, what are the odds someone will recognise us while we wait here," Scarlett asked, feeling a lot better.

"I don't think anyone here would know us. Besides, Scorpia and Nightrise not only know who we are, but what we're capable of. If they have some sense, they'll stay far away," Sunstorm joked, noticing Highspeed shivering, despite the fact it was warm. The sky was overcast, threatening heavy rain.

"You okay Highspeed?" he asked, seeing him point at someone.

"Who's he pointing at?" Jamie asked, looking at where Highspeed was pointing. There was a tall, muscular man with thinning grey hair and a scar on the side of his head that was facing them.

"He......he's someone from my past," was all Highspeed said.

"Must be a pretty bad memory he brings up when you see him," Frequency said, closing the filler cap.

"Maybe we should leave now," Highspeed said, turning towards the car when he heard a cry. He whirled round to see the man standing over two children, both only a little younger than he was, who were in tears.

_"If you want to survive in this world, you do as I say, or I'll put you out of your misery myself!"_ he heard the man yell. He watched as he grabbed the girl by the throat, as if to make a point. Something in Highspeed's mind clicked as he remembered his life before being encased in the gem. He remembered how the same man had treated him and Nightbird so badly. What was happening now had happened to him before, and now, something stirred inside of him. He walked over, his face full of rage.

_"If he picks on people weaker than him, I'll find out how he feels when he faces me now!"_ a voice screamed in his head as he stood behind the man.

"Hey, what the heck do you think you're doing!?" he yelled, making the man turn slowly and grin.

"What are you trying to do kid, sign your own death warrant. Beat it, before I turn on you," he said, turning back to his first victims.

"Don't you remember me!?" Highspeed spat out, making the man turn around.

"What are you talking about.....oh wait, I remember you blue boy. Why don't you just disappear before you get a reminder of what you were missing," the man said, looking down on Highspeed.

"Oh, when I'm through with you, that's going to be your wish," Highspeed growled, punching the man square in the nose.

"Why you..." the man said, kicking Highspeed in the stomach and knocking him flying.

"Now, where was.....hey wait?! What's happening?!" he yelled, now floating a few inches above the ground.

"Why don't I show you, how I'm stronger than you've ever imagined, and you are a mere germ compared to me," Highspeed said in an almost demonic voice. Already large streaks of black were running across his ocean blue hair, the tattoos on his hands starting to change, almost burning blood red. Finally, his hands became claws. He wasn't fully transformed into Demon, but just enough to make him look deathly.

"Did you honestly think I was just some puny kid you could control with fear?" he said, a twisted smile on his face. "Not so feared now, are you? Maybe that's just the way it should be, with me being the one you fear with everything you have," Highspeed said, his eyes now a blood red colour.

"Who.....who are you?" the helpless man asked, full of fear.

"I am dark Ancient, and now, you will see what true terror means," Highspeed laughed. Without a second thought, he flung the man into a disused warehouse, smashing him through the wall. He then grabbed him again, flinging him into old crates and discarded machinery. The man yelled out, only making Highspeed laugh.

"So now you understand what you put your victims through. Now I'll make you pay for all the suffering you've caused," he said, summoning an aura of black energy around his hand.

"Sorry about doing this to ya!" Sunstorm said quietly as he flew towards the building, burning as if he was covered in golden flames. A thunder storm had broken out, and Sunstorm was having to dodge lightning that was being attracted to his golden energy. As he smashed through the building wall, he rammed into Highspeed with the force of a meteor just as a streak of lightning struck nearby oil tanks, causing them to explode and take the warehouse with it.

"At least.....he paid for what he did," Highspeed whispered as he returned to normal.

"Just be thankful you didn't get taken with him," Sunstorm said as Highspeed passed out with exhaustion.

"So, where exactly do we go from here?" Nightbird asked herself as she looked around. The door had flung her and Pedro to somewhere they couldn't recognise immediately.

"Maybe we should ask someone," Pedro suggested as they walked towards a small village.

"Well, since Nightrise won't exactly be looking around here, guess it couldn't hurt, but stay alert," she said, leading the way. All the while, she couldn't help but wonder if Highspeed was okay. _"I doubt he'll be dead that easily. He won't leave this world till he's done all the things he's dreamed of doing," _Nightbird thought to herself. The sun was burning high in a bright blue sky. Everywhere was hot, but she didn't mind. She practically enjoyed it, feeling stronger than she had ever been. They were almost to the village entrance, which was more like a city now that they could see it.

"Oh great, just our luck to be inside a city where Nightrise are probably looking for us," she muttered.

"So, what do we do now?" Pedro asked, looking at the buildings that surrounded them.

"Well, going by the condition of half these buildings and the heat, I'd say we're somewhere in South America, and if this is a South American city, there might be some street kids we could ask. Maybe we should split up, and keep in contact," Nightbird answered, handing Pedro a wrist watch.

"If we need to talk to each other, just push that button," she said, turning to walk away, when Pedro grabbed her arm.

"Shouldn't we stay together?" he asked.

"I know we're the only ones here, but we need to split up to make it harder for Nightrise to find us. Besides, it's not as if I'm asking you to leave the city," Nightbird said. Pedro nodded and, still with a look of uncertainty, disappeared into a crowd of people.

As she walked around, Nightbird couldn't help but notice that everyone was staring at her. She didn't really mind since people always took a second glance at her back home because of her hair and tattoos. She looked around, seeing a variety of people from different parts of the world. Before long, she saw a child with rags for clothes and skin covered in dirt. As Nightbird walked over to him, he saw her and started moving away.

"Hey...I just need to ask you something!" she shouted, following the kid as he ran through busy streets. Nightbird kept up easily, ignoring the shouts from irritated bystanders. She soon cleared the crowds, running through an almost deserted part of town. She still had the boy in her sights, seeing him run into an abandoned warehouse. She was about to follow, but the door slammed shut before she got in. She started pounding the door, not noticing the police coming up behind her.

"Step back young lady, we'll take it from here," one of the officers said, pulling her away and behind the group of officers. She watched as one of them used a battering ram to break the door down. She stepped back as the children, at least ten or more, were led out, the boy she had chased looking at her with anger.

_"What have I done? I led the police here," _she thought, walking over to one of the officers. "What will you do to them?" she asked, tears of self anger in her eyes.

"They will be killed. By records, these children shouldn't exist, so we intend to make it that way," the officer said. Nightbird's eyes widened as she realised she'd lead death right to these kids. She watched as the younger children started to cry while some of the older ones tried to comfort them.

_"I...I can't let this happen! I won't let these kids lose their lives because of me!"_ her thoughts screamed. She felt a strange, powerful sensation surge through her. Anger at the police and her will to help these kids caused her to glow dark orange, her sun tattoos burning to the point of blinding.

The purple stripes in her hair and her eyes burned like fire. Surprisingly, no-one noticed the changes, and as police aimed their weapons, she launched a blinding burst of light at two of them, sending them flying. Everyone finally noticed her, eyes wide and mouths agape.

The police, not knowing what they were up against, opened fire, only to have their bullets disintegrate as they hit Nightbird's burning orange aura. She sent a wave of blinding fire at the police, melting their weapons into puddles of metal.

As the police backed away slowly, Nightbird launched a ball of white fire into the evening sky, signalling to Pedro. She was about to turn to the kids when, out of nowhere, six SUVs with the Nightrise logo skidded to a halt in front of her. She watched as men surrounded her, some even holding young children at gunpoint.

"Surrender now Soleil, and we'll let these children go," one of the men demanded, pointing a gun at a girl's head. Nightbird watched as men brought their fingers closer to the triggers, tears welling up in her eyes. Without knowing what she was doing, she unleashed an orb of burning light around her, blinding most of the small army and melting their weapons. She then flew to one of the men in charge, grabbing him by the throat.

"If you harm a single child here, you will burn so much, you will look like a sun in the sky, and still be suffering till the world ends," she spat, her eyes' flames now a darker, more threatening colour. The man in her grasp whimpered as she threw him down, watching the men scramble away.

As the SUVs became a cloud of dust, Pedro ran towards the warehouse as Nightbird seemed to faint, falling to the ground in front of the kids.

"I'm here Nightbird. We need to get her to shelter. Can we stay with you here at this warehouse?" Pedro asked, getting nods from the older kids. One of them, the boy Nightbird had been chasing, helped carry the unconscious pyrokinetic inside, closing the door behind them.

"So, this is where Nightbird and Pedro should be?" Airblaze asked as she and Roughhouse stood atop a building top, watching the warehouse.

"Well, if the burning light and the action scene I just saw isn't enough to prove it, I don't know what is," Roughhouse said, getting Airblaze to look towards the warehouse.

"Alright then, that's where we go to find her, and I'm guessing she just pulled a "dark Ancient" on the police and Nightrise," she said, making Roughhouse raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Sunstorm and Frequency said they found Scarlett, Jamie and Highspeed, and he just dealt with a part of his past," she added, looking at the warehouse.

"Well, at least she's more controlled than he is," Roughhouse muttered as he jumped to a lower building with Airblaze not far behind.


	3. Darkshade

It was late at night when Nightshade woke up. She looked around, seeing Matt lying in the second bed next to her. Yawning, Nightshade got out of bed, walking to the window of the hotel room that she and Matt were staying in.

"Well, at least we got to go somewhere I always wanted to visit. Shame we won't get to do some paranormal investigating," Nightshade muttered, staring out over the streets of Turin, also known as Satan's city. She had been interested in the city after watching a Most Haunted Live.

She was about to go back to bed, but could have sworn she'd heard a voice, little more than a faint whisper in the breeze. Shrugging it off, she went back to sleep, not noticing the black shadow that seemed to be engulfing her side of the room. Soon, she was in a deep sleep, so deep she never felt the Old Ones taking her away.

"_What an interesting subject. Maybe not as easily tapped as Ancient or Win Mai, but unstable enough for our needs."_

"What...?" Nightshade mumbled, waking up on a bed that felt like stone, which it was. She tried to get up, but found her arms were tied behind her back, and this meant she couldn't use her powers. _"Great, now I get to meet the Old Ones, and not I don't even get to give them a Nightshade hello," _she muttered, looking up to see a tall, muscular man with silver hair with streaks of purple, and large purple dragon wings, larger even than Ashley's, and that was saying something.

"Ah, you're awake. Did you enjoy your little sleep?" the man said, his voice deep with an unworldly echo accompanying every word.

"I might have enjoyed it better if I had a mattress, untied hands and no Old One goon outside. Who are you anyway?" Nightshade asked, now on her feet.

"You will know me as Malefor, the emissary of destruction! And right now, I have a little experiment that I need you for," he answered, going back to a strange device. He turned it on, and in seconds, a searing pain flowed burned through Nightshade, and a cloud of darkness emanated from her, taking human form.

"Of all the people to come and find me, why did it have to be you Cody?" Shadowspeed groaned.

"Because everyone else chose April, Nightbird and Nightshade. And the name's Sparkjump now," Sparkjump said back. Darkglow watched with her head in her hand, sighing as the two boys started arguing.

"Are they always like this?" Lohan asked. Darkglow nodded, letting out another sigh.

"Are you two done fighting? We have to get moving!" she shouted, getting the two boys attention.

"Sorry Rachel...I mean, Darkglow," Shadowspeed quickly said, catching himself on with the agent names. Sparkjump simply shut up, a nervous, innocent smirk on his face.

"So, any idea on where to go?" Sparkjump asked, looking around the almost barren wasteland.

"Lohan and I were going to check out a Nexus report that one of the Old Ones' commanders, Malefor, has a lair somewhere around here. Did the Nexus tell you guys anything about it," Shadowspeed asked, clearly agitated.

"We don't even know who Malefor is. He isn't in any of the records they sent us. It must have been found out recently," Darkglow muttered, taking a long look into the distance. There was something strange in the sky, almost like smoke.

"Shadowspeed, is there any sort of settlement in that direction?" she asked, still looking at the thin wisp of smoke.

"No, why, what do you see?" he asked, now following her gaze.

"I don't know, it looks like smoke, just a thin, unnoticeable wisp," she said, knowing everyone else was following her gaze.

"Good eye, that was not there before," Lohan said, getting a nod from Shadowspeed.

"If anything, it could be Malefor's lair. Let's get going," the ninja said, his air shoes firing up. Darkglow took off, carrying Sparkjump, while Lohan held onto Shadowspeed's waist while they dashed through the wasteland.

"I see the source. There's some vent hidden in the ground. Do you think there might be a machine underground?" Sparkjump asked, getting a "let's find out" look from Shadowspeed.

When all four looked at the ground, they realised the vent was huge, despite the small amount of fumes. "How do we get down?" Lohan asked, just as Shadowspeed created a sword of strange energy, slicing through the metal and sending it clattering down the shaft. "Never mind," Lohan muttered as Darkglow grabbed his and Sparkjump's hand and hovered slightly above the ground.

"See you down there," Shadowspeed said before leaping down the shaft. As he fell, he could feel something close by, the dark yet familiar presence of Nightshade's power of shadows. The bottom of the shaft came quickly, and Shadowspeed rolled upon landing, looking at the face of the tall, dragon winged man known as Malefor.

"Ah, Chaosstar, how nice of you to come. I was almost expecting Ancient or Win Mai to come, but you will do," Malefor said, his voice echoing around the room.

"I'll do for what? What are you up too?" Shadowspeed asked, growing more annoyed than confused.

Malefor laughed, then said "You'll do as a test, for Darkshade," and stepped aside to reveal someone who looked like Nightshade, except had jet black hair, pale grey eyes and the scar was on the opposite eye facing the opposite direction.

"What...what did you do to Nightshade? Where is she?!" Shadowspeed almost yelled, his hand glowing dark purple.

"She's safe, for now. I may conduct further experiments on her powers..." was as far as Malefor got before Shadowspeed lunged, blocked by Darkshade's telekinesis.

"What's the matter, can't fight anyone who looks like your girlfriend?" Darkshade said, her voice darkly taunting and dripping with venom.

"Nice try, but I won't hold back just because you're some second rate copy," Shadowspeed said, gaining an advantage.

"Oh, I'm second rate?" Darkshade said, flinging Shadowspeed across the room with the force to break any normal person's neck.

"Shadowspeed, are you okay?" Darkglow asked, unaware of Darkshade's presence until a piece of machinery was flying towards her.

"I'm fine, just go find Nightshade NOW!!!" Shadowspeed shouted, slicing the machinery in half with his energy blade. Darkglow quickly rejoined Sparkjump and Lohan and ran away from the battle, not daring to look back.

"Oh, the concern for precious Nightshade fills me with pleasure to see a strong warrior like this," Darkshade said, flinging more objects at the ninja.

"I'll wipe that smile off your face, and maybe even wipe your face off with it!" Shadowspeed yelled, slicing through every object before charging at his opponent.

"You can't possibly win. Your attachment to Nightshade is what stops you from fighting me. I am more than a clone, I am a part of her, of her powers, of her being. That's why your weapons don't harm me. They merely go through me, for you cannot harm your precious girlfriend," Darkshade spat as Shadowspeed's energy blade went right through her like she was a hologram.

"Shame, cause I can fight you and actually do damage," Darkshade muttered, kicking the ninja in the ribs, then landing a punch to his jaw, knocking him back a few feet.

"Is that the best you've got? I've fought wimps stronger than that," Shadowspeed said weakly, finding it hard to stand.

"Oh, so you've been put in a worse condition by wimps? And here I thought you were stronger than that," Darkshade replied, striking with quick, consecutive kicks and punches. When she finally stopped, Shadowspeed collapsed, supporting himself with his hands.

"Where does Shadowspeed expect us to look?" Sparkjump muttered, fed up with walking through the endless tunnels of Malefor's lair.

"What, do you expect to see a sign or something?" Lohan asked, stopping when Darkglow opened her wings like a barrier, hearing a low moaning in the distance.

"That sounds like Nightshade. It came from down there," Darkglow said, looking down towards the end of the tunnel. The three raced to the end, now in a cave with ancient yet functioning equipment, a holding cell with Nightshade passed out, and Malefor sitting in a chair, feet up on a console, as if he had been expecting them.

"So, you finally managed to find me. Sadly for you, I can't let you live," he said, now on his feet before charging, at the group, stopped by Darkglow throwing a large boulder at him.

"Get Nightshade out of here! I'll hold off Malefor!" Darkglow shouted, leaping into the air with Malefor right behind her.

"How exactly do we get in the cell?" Lohan asked before Sparkjump fired a lightning blast, unlocking the door. "Never mind," Lohan muttered, moving over to Nightshade while pulling out a knife to cut the ropes.

"You actually believe you can defeat me? You are a mere whelp compared to me!" Malefor shouted as he fired an orb of black energy at Darkglow.

"And you're just an arrogant gasbag," Darkglow muttered, telekinetically grabbing the orbs and throwing them back at their owner. Two hit his wings, while the other hit him in the chest, exploding and smashing him into the ground. He let out a moan, trying and failing to get up.

"For one of the Old One's commanders, he sure goes down easy," Sparkjump commented, helping Lohan carry out a semi-conscious Nightshade.

"Come on, let's go find Shadowspeed before he gets killed," Darkglow said, leading the way back through the tunnels.

"This is pathetic. I expected more from you!" Darkshade yelled as she kicked Shadowspeed in the chin, knocking him into the wall to leave another crater. Amazingly, he was still conscious, and somehow still able to stand weakly.

He was covered in bruises and his own blood, but still said defiantly "Well, so sorry to disappoint you," before coughing up more blood, falling to his knees.

"I don't believe this! I can feel your rage, your desire to attack and destroy me, yet you just hit me with defiant comments and take what I dish out. What do you think to accomplish through it!?" Darkshade almost yelled, noticing the smirk on the ninja's face.

"Your own downfall," he said flatly as Darkshade was engulfed in a black glow. She was turned to see Nightshade, fully conscious with rage and hate in her eyes, holding her there, before flinging her into a nearby wall.

"You aren't immune to attacks unless I'm in a weakened state, and I am far from that now," Nightshade said in a low, deathly whisper, her eyes now completely black, and her snow white hair now flowing as if she was underwater. Shadowspeed was now in the same state, his eyes now a dark, evil looking purple.

"You will regret ever being brought into existence," Shadowspeed said in a now dark, low moan of a voice, his hands glowing to the point of blinding. He fired a stream of dark chaos energy at Darkshade, her screams piercing to the point of deafening.

"What...this is impossible," Malefor gasped as he walked in, gaining the attention of the deeply enraged Nightshade.

"You will pay for what you did to me," she said in her deathly whisper, firing beams of shadow energy at the Old One commander, ignoring his pain filled yells.

"_Don't worry Darkglow, we managed to find Matt and nothing bad has happened yet. You don't have anything to worry about for now,"_ Blockrock's voice said through the communicator. "Just keep your guard up," Darkglow said before cutting the connection.

"I always knew, while Malefor held me captive, that you would come. I just wish I hadn't let him create Darkshade from me so easily," Nightshade said as they watched the sun set.

"It wasn't your fault. Besides, you know that, Darkshade or not, I would have rescued you, no matter what," Shadowspeed whispered, his now deep purple eyes looking into her violet hue eyes.

"Are you sure this is where you picked up Ashley's energy signature?" Shannon asked as she and Omega looked over a huge city, concentrating on the tallest building.

"I'm very sure. Her power's don't go unnoticed on my scanners," Omega answered, his jet boosters already firing. He picked her up bridal style before flying towards the city, no idea what to expect when they got there.


	4. Solaris Awakens

"So, what is the plan to capture these annoying pests?" Chaos asked everyone in the room. With him were Chaos, Iblis and Mephiles.

"One of Scorpia's agents is pursuing one of the chosen ones and two of the gatekeepers. We are still unable to locate the others though," Malefor said, looking across everyone in the room. "I hope you have an idea on how to capture these insects Mephiles," he said, staring at the dark teenaged looking boy. Mephiles simply glanced threateningly at him; his usual, quiet way of saying "shut up or die". Malefor felt anger boil in him.

How could a boy like Mephiles be so disrespectful of everyone but Iblis? The anger subsided quickly, and Mephiles sighed, leaving the group.

"He's just been deep in thought lately about the plans and his part in them," Iblis said before following the dark teen.

Mephiles walked outside Chaos' ice palace, looking into the emptiness that surrounded them. It reminded him of what the world would become if Chaos and Malefor had their way. _"Why do they crave nothing but destruction, while really it will just bring the end of everything, including themselves. And yet they fight to merely end everything in their path, possibly wiping out everything in existence,"_ he thought to himself.

"You seem more troubled than usual lately," Iblis said as he walked out into the cold. Mephiles quickly glanced back at him, then looked back at the emptiness.

"Why do they crave destruction, when all it will do is eventually destroy themselves. I don't see why they chose weak minded destruction," Mephiles said.

"I know what you mean, but you know we can't just abandon them. Chaos would have our innards for dinner, and the rest of us for dessert. Let us leave it to those who can oppose him to defeat him," Iblis said, shaking in the freezing cold.

"Yeah, those who can oppose him..." Mephiles said as he thought about one person in particular. _"Fighting those monsters by her side felt so...natural, like it was meant to be that way, her and me, fighting side by side,"_ he thought as he followed Iblis inside.

"So, do you have good reason to question Mephiles' loyalty?" Chaos asked as Malefor stood before him in the throne room.

"I do. When you ordered him and Iblis to capture Win Mai, or Ashley as she is now called, Ashley tapped into fury energy, and was faced by our lava golems. However, Mephiles seemed to intervene, helping her obliterate the creatures and escape," Chaos's second in command said as he knelt before him. Though it couldn't be seen, Chaos' face looked full of slight shock.

"If he is found to have done what you claim he has, then what do you propose we do?" Chaos asked as Malefor stood up.

"I suggest we make an example of him, and if he resists still, terminate him and have his power absorbed into you my liege," Malefor said before leaving the room.

"I agree. I shall let you handle it personally Malefor, seeing as it is your idea," Chaos said as Malefor walked down the dark corridor.

"Gladly," was all Malefor said quietly to himself, walking off to find Mephiles.

From his hiding place in the shadows, Iblis listened to the conversation between Chaos and Malefor, quickly melting into flames when they were finished. Silently, he re-materialised in a corridor, his heavy footsteps shaking the ground as he searched for his friend.

"I didn't think anyone, let alone Malefor would find out about Mephiles' deeds. I need to warn him," he said, skidding to a halt and ducking into an open door as Malefor walked by.

"Iblis, have you seen your dark friend? Chaos wants me to find him," Malefor said, seeing Iblis pretending to casually walk out.

"Why no, I haven't seen him since the meeting," Iblis said as Mephiles walked by.

"Ah, speak of the devil. Chaos wants me to show you what happens when you betray the Old Ones," Malefor said, stepping towards Mephiles.

"What are you talking about?" the dark teen said, stepping away.

"I know about how you helped Win Mai escape. I believe you'd better prepare to meet your fate!" Malefor said, striking Mephiles with a blast of dark energy.

"So, do you admit to being as weak as the ones you helped?" Malefor said mockingly, opening his huge dragon wings threateningly. Mephiles said nothing as Malefor landed a powerful punch to his chest.

"So, this is the true power of a traitor?" Chaos said, walking in to watch the battle. Angered by Mephiles' silence, Malefor launched furious blows, followed by a large blast of his dark energy, but still Mephiles suffered in silence.

"So, this is how it will end. You're just as pathetic as that girl you helped. You know, I will make sure I am the one to finish her, and I will cut her open and see how long her heart goes, enjoying her pain and hopelessness...." was all Malefor said before and angered, beaten and bloodied Mephiles slammed his blood soaked fist into Malefor's face.

"Just try and do it while I still have a spirit and a conscience," he spat out, ramming a knee into Malefor's chest. He stood triumphantly over the Old Ones' second in command, until Chaos struck him with his blade.

"You are weak, and now your treachery will be your demise. I will grant you the mercy of a few last words," Chaos said, noticing Mephiles' smile.

"And your pathetic, weak minded cravings for pain and destruction will be your own demise, and how I'll laugh when that day comes," Mephiles said, waiting for Chaos' sword to finish him.

As Chaos raised his sword above his head, Iblis smashed into the Old Ones' leader, ramming him into the icy walls.

"You will have to destroy me if you wish to live," Iblis said as Chaos got to his feet. As Mephiles got up, Malefor flew high into the air, an aura of dark energy surrounding him.

"You dare betray us for the sake of pathetic human flesh bags!? You will regret ever returning to this world!" Malefor said as his body grew into a large lava monster. He grew to twice the size of the ice palace, his arms ending in claws and his head looking like that of a shark. His eyes were now burning orbs of fire. He was now a creature known throughout myths as the Destroyer.

He now had the power to eliminate anything that stood before him, including the two traitors. Everyone looked up in surprise as a large arm grabbed the traitors and flung them across the cold emptiness. Iblis and Mephiles hit the ground in a crash, a fall that would have killed any normal man and crushed his body.

"We.....we can't fight him and hope to live like this!" Iblis said, trying to push himself out of the ice.

"No, we need to fight together as one! We need to combine our powers!" Mephiles said, surrounded in an aura of energy.

"Are you sure we can do it?" Iblis asked, watching Mephiles float into the air.

"If we don't, then we both die and they will control our powers! It's now or never!" Mephiles shouted as Iblis nodded, melting into flames and swirling around his friend.

A light started emanating from the dark teen, merging the powers and forms of the two of them and forming a powerful being. From the light came two arms, long, thin and almost metallic looking. The legs were the same. A pair of wings also formed, looking robotic, had four large blade like shapes to act as wing feathers. His head had a pair of small wings swept back, and within the chest, a red orb burned.

It was written in legends that this being could control, even destroy the fabric of time and space. It was rumoured that this being could exist in the past, present and future all at once. Many myths spoke of the countless battles that had been won by the side this being was on.

The eternal sun, the guiding light, the being of light and darkness were names it was known by, but few knew its true name.

His name was one that could darken a room by the mere mention of it, or bring light to the darkest cave. He had awakened. Solaris...the emissary of light and darkness, had now awakened.

"How do you propose to fight us both as one?" Solaris said, speaking with both the voices of Mephiles and Iblis. The Destroyer merely growled, unable to use actual speech, before smashing a huge fist into Solaris, trying to knock him over.

Solaris simply stood his ground, his large, blade like fingers cutting into the Destroyer's neck, causing purple lava, the creature's blood, to fall.

Solaris then proceeded to punch at the Destroyer's stomach before the large lava creature fell to the ground, beaten and exhausted. "A creature like you against the very essence of time and space? You were merely prolonging your defeat," Solaris said before disappearing right in front of Chaos' invisible eyes.

"I forgot what it was like to have our forces combined. It felt...amazing," Iblis said, looking around where they'd ended up.

"Well right now, there's a price on our heads. I think you need a normal looking human form, otherwise we'll be easily picked out," Mephiles commented, looking out the window of the small room they were in.

"Alright then, let me just get enough concentration," Iblis said, a small fiery orb circling him. A light engulfed him, and when it faded, he was now a huge, muscular man with fiery orange hair, deep red eyes and dark brown skin.

"Nice, now let's get going and find someone who can help us," Mephiles said, about to open the door, but was blown back by a blast of air as the door slammed into Iblis, disintegrating on impact.

"What the pits was that?!" Iblis shouted, before cursing under his breath as he saw the silhouette of a familiar pair of dragon wings.

"Are you two stalking me now, because if you are, you are going to be dead in a matter of seconds," Ashley said, her eyes burning like fire while green earth energy engulfed her hands.

"If you would just listen....oh crude MOVE!!!" Mephiles shouted, leaping to the side to dodge a flail of earth energy. He wasn't intending to fight, but he knew that if he wanted to get out alive, he'd have to.

"Listen, we don't want to fight you. We want to join you!!" Iblis yelled, punching the flails as they swung at him.

"Do you really think I'd believe you? You must really have lava for brains," Ashley yelled back, fighting Mephiles hand to hand.

"What would it take to make you believe us? Wait, I smell smoke..." Mephiles said, breaking of his attack before dodging Ashley's lunge. "If there's a fire near here, then people are in danger! Come on!" he shouted, using his air shoes to skate to the scene.

"Why should I believe him?" Ashley muttered loud enough for Iblis to hear.

"Tell you what, if we help with this fire and play the hero, you give us the benefit of the doubt. If not, we'll gladly take any beating you can dole out on us, deal?" Iblis said, getting a nod of approval before they raced to catch up.

"What happened here?" Mephiles asked upon arrival at the scene.

"Someone set the building on fire. There are civilians trapped inside," one of the fire-fighters said, aiming his hose at the flames.

"Alright, I'll go and save those civilians," Mephiles said, running towards the inferno before anyone could stop him.

"Okay, how do we help?" Ashley asked once she and Iblis arrived on the scene.

"Simple, you try and douse the flames with your water control, while I stop this rubble squashing people," Iblis said, already transforming into his lava giant form. "How stable is this building?" he asked, muttering never mind when he saw a large piece of rubble fall, threatening to crush people trying to evacuate.

"We're going to die!" a young boy said, everyone ducking and covering to protect themselves, when they heard a deep and commanding voice shout "Get moving! It's not wise to stay here!" Looking up, they saw the lava giant standing over them, standing ready to punch any falling debris to bits.

"I should have waited for Iblis to do this. Still, no turning back now," Mephiles muttered through his arm. He was now in the middle of the fire, battling to find anyone trapped. Though being an Old One, he still had difficulty breathing, and stopped to take a coughing fit every two floors.

"_If I don't hurry, I'll be dead in a matter of minutes,"_ he thought to himself, finally on the top floor. He looked and listened, hearing shouts for help coming from one of the doors. Kicking it down, he found a young boy, scared stiff, cowering behind a chair.

"I don't want to die! I want my mommy!" the boy yelled through his sobs.

"You won't die. I'll get you to your mommy. Trust me?" Mephiles said in a surprisingly reassuring voice. The boy came out from his hiding place, letting Mephiles pick him up. "Have you ever wanted to fly kid?" Mephiles asked, seeing the boy nod. "Well, hold on tight," he said, activating his air shoes and flying through the roof as the building crumbled.

"NO! My son is in there!!" a woman shouted at a fire-fighter, while Iblis mourned the potential loss of a good friend.

"Wait, what's that up there!" another person shouted, pointing at Mephiles gliding down, running along any falling debris, boy in his arms who seemed to be enjoying himself as the dark teen skated down pieces of brickwork before leaping to another, before landing gracefully and gently on solid ground.

"I believe this boy is your son," Mephiles said, letting the child run to his mom.

"Thank you, thank you...." the woman began, waiting for a name.

"Mephiles. It was nothing really, just glad I could help," the dark teen said.

"That was so cool the way you could fly! I wish I could do it!" the boy said, making Mephiles smile. "Maybe someday kiddo," he said, ruffling the kids hair in a playful manner before walking off.

"That was incredible! I never expected you to do anything like that!" Iblis said, now back in human form. They both slapped high fives, then looked to Ashley, who was standing there, arms crossed with an impassive expression.

"For someone who wanted to destroy, you sure are good at saving," she said, her expression brightening. "Come on, let's get outta here and find a place to stay," she added, the three of them walking off into the city.


End file.
